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Scroll for 17 top-rated memoirs written by women.
Amazon
Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover
This memoir chronicles the author's journey from growing up in a strict and isolated Idaho family with no formal education to eventually pursuing higher education at prestigious universities, all while grappling with the challenges of her tumultuous upbringing. It explores themes of self-discovery, resilience, and the transformative power of education.
Amazon
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
This is a riveting memoir about growing up in extreme poverty with brilliant but deeply dysfunctional parents who bounced their family from desert towns to rundown homes while chasing impossible dreams. What makes the book unforgettable is how Walls balances shocking moments of neglect and instability with humor, tenderness, and remarkable emotional restraint, creating a story that’s as heartbreaking as it is wildly entertaining. It’s ultimately a powerful exploration of resilience, family loyalty, shame, and the complicated love we can still feel for the people who fail us most.
Amazon
Crying In H Mart: A Memoir by Michelle Zauner
From the indie rockstar known as Japanese Breakfast comes an unforgettable memoir about family, food, grief, love, and growing up Korean American. She tells the story of growing up as one of the few Asian American kids at her school in Eugene, Oregon, moving to the East Coast for college, meeting her husband, and having her Korean-ness shrink and feel more distant than ever. Her mother's cancer diagnosis forced a reckoning with her identity that many readers will find poignant and relatable. This beloved book has since inspired the Crying In H Mart movie.
Amazon
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
Considered one of the greatest books ever written about grief and shock, Joan Didion delivers a Pulitzer Prize-winning account of the year following the sudden death of her husband, writer John Gregory Dunne, while their only daughter lay in a coma. Rather than a traditional memoir of grief, Didion approaches her loss with the precision of a journalist, documenting the "magical thinking" that takes hold when the mind refuses to accept the permanence of death. Widely regarded as a modern classic, the book is a testament to Didion’s lucid and honest prose, and serves as both a manual for survival and a hauntingly beautiful tribute to the people we love.
Amazon
You with the Sad Eyes by Christina Applegate
In this refreshingly unfiltered memoir, Christina Applegate proves she’s much more than just a Hollywood icon. She balances "laugh-out-loud" wit with heart-wrenching honesty while navigating a career that began on Married… with Children, personal experiences with abuse, and her public journey with cancer and MS. It is a powerful, darkly funny testament to finding humor in the heaviest of life’s moments.
Amazon
Awake: A Memoir by Jen Hatmaker
Hatmaker chronicles the personal and public fallout that followed her evolving views on faith, politics, family, and inclusion, particularly within evangelical Christian spaces, while also navigating divorce, grief, and major life transitions. Written with warmth, humor, and vulnerability, the memoir explores what it means to wake up to a fuller version of yourself, even when that transformation comes at a cost.
Amazon
Famesick by Lena Dunham
Dunham's candid memoir examines the physical, emotional, and psychological toll of fame, chronic illness, and relentless ambition. Tracing her meteoric rise during the years of Girls alongside debilitating health struggles, addiction to pain management, public scrutiny, and personal heartbreak, Dunham writes with the same sharp wit and self-awareness that made her voice so distinctive in the first place. What emerges is a deeply vulnerable exploration of identity, burnout, womanhood, and the complicated cost of chasing creative success while your body and sense of self begin to unravel.
Amazon
Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage
Belle Burden chronicles the sudden collapse of her marriage after her husband’s abrupt departure during the pandemic. His exit forces Burden to examine not just their shared history, but her own identity, privilege, and the silent compromises of modern partnership. It is a exploration of betrayal, financial dependence, and the jarring realization that two people can share decades together and still remain total strangers.
Amazon
Just Kids by Patti Smith
This is a dreamy, beautifully written memoir that captures the grit and magic of New York City’s 1970s art scene through Smith’s deep friendship and creative partnership with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. Part love story, part coming-of-age tale, the book follows two young artists struggling to survive while chasing creative greatness, living in cheap hotels, making art, and immersing themselves in a world filled with music, poetry, and ambition. Smith’s lyrical writing gives the memoir an almost nostalgic haze, making it feel both intimate and timeless.
Amazon
Becoming by Michelle Obama
This inspiring memoir traces Obama’s journey from her childhood on Chicago’s South Side to the White House and beyond. Written with warmth, honesty, and humor, the book explores her ambitions, marriage, motherhood, career, and the pressures of life in the public eye while remaining incredibly relatable throughout. What makes the memoir so compelling is Obama’s openness about self-doubt, identity, and growth, making it feel less like a political memoir and more like a candid conversation about resilience, purpose, and finding your voice.
Amazon
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
This is a brutally honest and surprisingly funny memoir about child stardom, toxic family dynamics, and the long aftermath of emotional abuse. McCurdy recounts her years as a Nickelodeon actor under the intense control of her mother, who pushed her into fame while manipulating nearly every aspect of her life, from eating habits to personal identity. Despite the heavy subject matter, McCurdy’s sharp humor and unfiltered storytelling make the memoir incredibly readable, balancing deeply uncomfortable moments with wit and self-awareness. The result is a powerful story about reclaiming autonomy, healing from trauma, and learning who you are after years of living for someone else.
Amazon
Gone: A Memoir of Love, Body, and Taking Back My Life by Linda Olson
Linda and her husband Dave were two young doctors living the dream. However, their perfect lives and Linda's body were shattered when a train hit their van while they were vacationing in Germany. Despite Linda becoming a triple amputee they stay together and work to rebuild their lives. She soon learned how to walk with prosthetics, finish med school while pregnant, and change a diaper with one hand. Gone is a story about turning challenges into opportunities and steering your life in the direction you want.
Amazon
Everything Beautiful In Its Time by Jenna Bush Hager
To their granddaughter, George and Barbara Bush were so much more than the president and first lady. They were her beloved grandparents who taught her about love, strength, humility, and countless other life lessons that continue to guide her life. Her maternal grandparents, the Welches, may not have held as much national fame as the Bushes, but to Jenna, they were equally loved as they taught her to appreciate the little things. Throughout her book, Jenna pays tribute to her past and provides life lessons for all readers to take with them.
Amazon
There I Am by Ruthie Lindsey
At 17 years old, Lindsey is hit by an ambulance and given a five percent chance of survival. One month later after a spinal fusion surgery, Ruthie beats the odds and leaves the hospital on her own two feet. Then she begins to experience debilitating pain a few years later. As her life unravels, Ruthie returns home to Louisiana to find a way to learn joy again. In our Creative Crushin' series, Brit + Co cofounder Anjelika Temple talks with the author Ruthie Lindsey about her creative process, what motivates her, and what inspired her to share her story of healing with the world.
Amazon
Vagina Problems: Endometriosis, Painful Sex, and Other Taboo Topics by Lara Parker
After years of shame, stigmatization, and fighting a medical community biased against females, Lara Parker, Deputy Editorial Director at Buzzfeed, was finally diagnosed with her vagina problems. Parker is unafraid to let the world know that she has endometriosis, pelvic floor dysfunction, and other debilitating conditions that prevent her from having sex. Through candid stories about anxiety and depression over the pain and discomfort her conditions have caused, Parker is determined to help the one in ten women like her to live their best lives.
Amazon
The Art of Losing It: A Memoir by Rosemary Keevil
After losing her husband to cancer and her brother to AIDS in the same year, Rosemary Keevil spirals into addiction while struggling to cope with her grief. She enters rehab desperate to be there for her two young daughters who just lost their dad. What follows is a fresh wave of chaos rather than the peace she and her daughters need. Hopeful and heartwrenching, The Art of Losing It shares the journey to overcome hardship and emerge on the other side with strength.
Amazon
Untamed by Glennon Doyle
Activist, philanthropist, and New York Times bestselling author, Glennon Doyle teach us all what it means to untame ourselves and live authentically. Learn why it's important to embrace anger, a new perspective on guilt, and concrete tips on how to feel your feelings - even when it's uncomfortable.
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